MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL COVERAGE AS DRUNK AS YOU >>>

Yesterday's Tacoma Rainiers (55-56) game was a staunch reminder of how hard it is to predict the outcome of a baseball game. 

As if I needed a staunch reminder.

I caught the first five innings of yesterday's game against the Las Vegas 51s on the radio.  After five innings, the Rainiers were up 1-0.

Now, 1-0 isn't a definitive score. 1-0 signifies a close game. But if after those five innings someone asked me to place a bet on who would win the game, I would have shelled a large stack of cash and placed my bet on a Rainiers win. More, even. The game, with a 1-0 score after five innings, seemed that lopsided.

Though the Rainiers had only scored one run, the players were hitting. New guy and designated hitter Wily Mo Pena, outfielder Carlos Peguero and catcher Jose Yepez all hit the ball hard. Even the ground outs were promising. It only seemed like a matter of time before the team had a breakout inning. Starting pitcher Nate Robertson was on fire. In the early innings, the 51s couldn't touch him. A couple of times I tuned the radio to a different station during a commercial break, only to come back to Mike Curto saying something like, "Robertson with an eight pitch inning." Robertson cruised through five innings, seemingly on his way to a complete game.  My hypothetical bet was a lock.

After five innings, I turned off the radio and went to work. Later in the day I checked the score. 6-2, Las Vegas 51s. What? Huh? I checked the score again. I made sure I had the date right. Everything was correct, 6-2 Las Vegas 51's.

In the top of the sixth inning, Robertson gave up a walk, two base hits and a homerun to put the 51s up 4-1. Robertson, who for five innings had seemed untouchable, gave up four runs in the top of the sixth, right after I turned off the radio.

I don't know why this surprised me. I've been a fan of baseball long enough to know how quickly a game, a week, a season can change course. Yesterday's game changed quickly. It happens all the time.

But, damn. I would have bet a large amount of money the Rainiers were going to win that game. And I would have lost my shirt.

Notes ...

-Kyle Seager had an epically poor day at the plate yesterday.  Seager went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts against the Las Vegas 51s. After the game, Seager was called up to the Seattle Mariners as third baseman Chone Figgins was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Seager hustled his butt up to Seattle, was called in to pinch hit for a bruised Justin Smoak, and struck out in front of 22,000 fans at Safeco. Yesterday Seager ended the day 0-for-6 on with three strike outs. 

There is a bright patch, though. Seager did get the call up to Major Leagues, so... he has that going for him, which is nice.

-Big hitter, new Rainiers' Designated Hitter Wily Mo Pena. 

-The PCL Pacific North leaders, the Reno Aces, have lost five games in a row, meaning the Rainiers have slowly gained some ground on their division rivals. The Rainiers sit 8.5 games behind the Aces with thirty three games left to play in the season. 8.5 games is still a lot of ground to cover, but if the Aces continue their slide, the end of the season suddenly gets interesting. 

The Rainiers head down to Albuquerque today to begin a four game series with the Isotopes. I'm a fan of the Isotopes for a couple of reasons. One, I used to live in Albuquerque. It's a cool town. Two, The Simpsons' fictional baseball team is the Springfield Isotopes. I can't hate on Springfield. Finally, the Isotopes' nickname is the ‘Topes. How can you hate a team nicknamed the ‘Topes?

You just can't. It's not possible.

LINK: The "Rainiers Minute" collection